The National Pig Association (NPA) has said the EU-spec standard pig price continues to fall at a “very steady pace”, losing 0.41p during the week ended January 27.
The standard pig price (SPP) now stands at 211.36p/kg. SPP has now lost over 2.5p during the first four weeks of 2024.
The SPP is now just over 14p below the early-August high of 225.64p/kg, and less than 7p above the price in the same week 12 months ago.
The all pig price (APP) has been “much more volatile” in recent weeks, the NPA said, with some large weekly increases interrupting the downward trend, including a gain or nearly 3p during the week ended January 13.
“Normal service was resumed during the week ended January 20, as the APP lost 1.43p to stand at 211.68p/kg, which, once again, put it fractionally behind the SPP for the week,” the NPA said.
“The EU reference price lost a further 3.15p during the week ended January 21, taking it down to 175.84pkg, meaning it has now lost more than 7p in the space of three weeks.
“This leaves it nearly 40p below the mid-July high of 215p/kg. The gap to the UK reference price has grown again to 33.5p, the biggest gap seen for time.”
Slaughterings
Estimated GB slaughterings for the week ended January 27, at 150,356 remained 12,000 down on the 2023 figure for the week and 34,000 down on 2022.
Carcase weights in the SPP sample were virtually unmoved 90.44kg during the week ended January 27, more than a kilo up on the same week in 2023.
London feed wheat was quoted by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) on Wednesday (January 31) at around £171/t for March, £7 down on last week, and £193/t for November 2024, £5 down on last week.
